Likweti wildlife residential estate is proud to announce that we have welcomed the estate’s first Sable Antelope. A pair of Sable Antelope were released on the estate on the morning of 3 august 2021.
Likweti wildlife residential estate is proud to announce that we have welcomed the estate’s first Sable Antelope. A pair of Sable Antelope were released on the estate on the morning of 3 august 2021.
Sable Antelope (known as Swartwitpens in Afrikaans) are known for their impressive backward-curved horns. Both bulls and cows have these distinctive horns. Horns of mature bulls can reach lengths of up to 1.6 meters. The cow’s horns are slightly smaller and thinner.
A Sable bull is characterized by a dark, shiny coat with striking white markings on the belly, rump, throat, and face. Females are dark reddish-brown in color and so are the young at birth. As the young mature, their coats get darker, and the white markings start to appear. The contrast between the white markings and the coats become more evident as they age.
As these antelope are herbivorous, their diet consists largely of grass, but they will occasionally eat herbs and leaves from shrubs and trees. They are mostly found close to water sources and are especially water-dependent during dry seasons.
The Sable Antelope is a sociable and territorial antelope that is most active during early mornings and late afternoons. Residents should be on the lookout for these antelope, drinking water around mid-day at one of the estate’s dams. During the calving season small groups with pregnant cows separate from larger groups consisting of young and non-breeding antelope. Territorial bulls will evict young bulls from breeding groups when they become sexually mature at the age of three years.
Sable Antelope favor the broad-leaved deciduous woodlands called “miombo”, a mixture of bush and grassland where they look for medium height, good quality grass cover. They usually avoid open grassy plains.
It is estimated that there are only 75 thousand Sable Antelope left in the world.
We are privileged to offer our residents this wonderful opportunity to experience this rare and endangered antelope at Likweti wildlife residential estate.
References:
www.krugerpark.co.za
www.awf.org
